Service Is a Silver Bullet

Six summers ago, we published a cover story called "The Case for National Service," in which I proposed that every American high school student do a year of service after graduation. While there have been gains over the past six years--such as a new focus on addressing the high school--dropout epidemic through service and the establishment of a social-innovation fund to scale programs that work--the idea of national service has moseyed along without much progress. Until now.

This summer, TIME, in collaboration with the Aspen Institute's Franklin Project and its chairman, General Stanley McChrystal, is convening a 21st Century National Service...